JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 21, 2014) – Playing at the familiar confines of Betty Basler field for the first time this season, the ETSU softball team will host Oakland and Siena this weekend in the Buccaneer Challenge presented by Holiday Inn.

GETTING UP TO SPEED

The Buccaneers (3-5) finished last weekend’s Panther Invitational in Atlanta with one win and three losses, including a narrow 5-4 setback to Bowling Green.

ETSU shut out Big Ten opponent Indiana, 6-0, on the final day of the tournament, allowing no extra-base hits to the Hoosiers.

Freshman Taylor Carter (Brazil, Ind.) picked up the win, throwing a complete game shutout, while senior catcher Jackie Baird (Ooltewah, Tenn.) blasted her team-best fifth home run of the season.

In addition to leading the Bucs in homers, Baird has driven in a team-leading 10 RBI.

Meanwhile, Carter has driven in eight runs while batting .346. On the mound, the freshman has notched 14 strikeouts while allowing just two walks.

The Bucs are scoring an average of five runs per game this season—well above last year's average of three runs per game.

Through the Bucs’ first eight games, freshman Kelsey Chernak (Ooltewah, Tenn.) is pacing ETSU with a .429 batting average, nine hits, and three doubles.

The 2013 MAAC regular season champions, the Saints return several key players, including Jessika-Jo Sandrini, Alyssa Lancaster, and Paige Lloyd, who combined to drive in 95 runs last season, accounting for more than 40 percent of the team’s offense.